1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote monitoring system for artificial snow makers (artificial snowmakers) which are placed on a ski slope at predetermined intervals.
2. Description of the Related Art
An artificial snowmaker is used to solve a problem of natural snow shortages in such facilities as ski or snowboarding slopes, or to produce artificial snow in facilities where artificial snow is sparsely provided on a surface of an artificially created slope.
A spray- or gun-type artificial snowmaker is an example of this type. In a spray- or gun-type artificial snowmaker, snow-making water is sprayed into the air at a temperature below the freezing point of water, thereby turning into snow. In utilizing this type of artificial snowmaker, a plurality of artificial snowmakers are placed at predetermined intervals on a ski slope, and each artificial snowmaker is provided with a nozzle, through which the snow-making water that is supplied at a predetermined pressure is sprayed so as to cover a predetermined range of the slope.
A disadvantage of the artificial snowmaker described above is that it can be used only when the outdoor air temperature is below the freezing point. However, an artificial snowmaker of this type can be made with relatively simple structures because it is used only under limited conditions. Moreover, its operating time is fixed at a short period at night. Thus, an advantage of this type of artificial snowmaker is that its devices are easy to control and have few breakdowns.
A different type of artificial snowmaker can be used when the outdoor air is at room temperature. This type of artificial snowmaker is provided with a device that produces artificial snow by finely crushing pieces of ice to make snow-like flakes and discharges them with pressured air onto the slope. This device is called, for example, Ice Crushing System (trade name).
The ice crushing system has an advantage of being capable of making artificial snow regardless of outdoor air temperature because it is provided with a freezer where ice is produced. However, problems arise when the ice crushing system is used in an outdoor field.
When the ice crushing system is used in an outdoor field, it is required that the system be able to operate stably for a long period of time under variable environmental conditions on the ski slope where the system is placed. Furthermore, the system may be required to operate on an artificial ski slope on a beach during summer. Moreover, it should be noted that the environmental conditions outside of the system may vary greatly depending on the climate and time even if the system is placed in the same location.
Since it is difficult to operate the freezer that includes a compressor in a stable manner under such variable environmental conditions, there is a high possibility of occurrence of problems and malfunctions as compared to a spray-type artificial snowmaker. Consequently, an artificial snowmaker of ice crushing type requires far more frequent inspections, adjustments and maintenance than a spray-type artificial snowmaker.
Furthermore, when a great number of ice crushing systems are placed on a large skiing ground, it is necessary to have a certain number of staff engaged in a routine inspection of the systems, which requires enormous labor and cost. In addition, even when some abnormality is detected in one of the systems during a routine inspection, it may be difficult to fix the problem quickly when it requires replacement of parts. In this case, the staff must return to the base, find necessary parts and bring them back to the system for the repair.
The present invention has been achieved in consideration of the above-described circumstances of the prior art techniques, and an object thereof is to provide a system capable of accurately monitoring each of a plurality of ice-crushing type artificial snowmakers provided in a skiing ground.
A further detailed object of the present invention is to provide a system which allows an appropriate preparation before staff actually goes to the location of each of the artificial snowmakers for maintenance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a system capable of monitoring artificial snowmakers in a selected skiing ground from a remote place.
In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a system for remotely monitoring artificial snowmakers, comprising: a plurality of artificial snowmakers placed apart from each other on a slope of a skiing ground, each of the artificial snowmakers having a freezer for making ice, and being capable of making artificial snow independently; and a monitoring device provided in a monitoring station of the skiing ground and connected to each of the artificial snowmakers, for monitoring an operational state of each of the artificial snowmakers.
With the structure described above, it is possible to carefully monitor from the monitoring station ice-crushing type artificial snowmakers, which are prone to malfunctions caused by elements such as outdoor temperature. In this way, even if a malfunction occurs in one of the artificial snowmakers, it can be treated promptly and correctly.
Here, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the monitoring device is connected to a sensor provided in each of the artificial snowmakers, and the sensor comprises at least an atmosphere detection sensor to detect an atmosphere where an artificial snowmaker is placed, and a pressure detection sensor to detect a coolant pressure of the freezer. The monitoring device comprises a sensor detected value display means used to display a value detected by each of the sensors provided in the respective artificial snowmakers, and an operational state display means to display an operational state of each of the artificial snowmakers.
With the above-described structure, it is possible to monitor various parameters and the operational state of a compressor in the ice crushing type artificial snowmaker, which has greatly varying performance depending on environmental conditions in a skiing ground where the artificial snowmaker is in operation. Therefore it is possible to properly control the artificial snowmaker.
According to another embodiment, the monitoring device includes a time series display means to display the above-described sensor detected values and the operational states in a time series.
With the above-described structure, it is possible to display in a time-series table manner variations in the parameters of each artificial snowmaker that depend on elements such as temperature. This makes it easy to control and adjust each artificial snowmaker.
According to still another embodiment, the monitoring device further comprises a temperature sensor to detect temperature of lubricant for a compressor of the freezer.
With the above-described structure, it is possible to accurately detect the time when the coolant enters the compressor in the form of liquid, so that maintenance staff can have enough time to prepare for the artificial snowmaker stoppage.
According to still another embodiment, the monitoring device further comprises a location display device which displays a location where each of the artificial snowmakers is placed on a ski slope, and an abnormality display device which displays a sign indicating an abnormality on the location display device when some abnormality occurs during the operation of each of the artificial snowmakers.
With the above-described structure, it is easy to confirm a malfunction of an artificial snowmaker since the abnormality is displayed together with the location data of the artificial snowmaker.
According to still another embodiment, the system further includes an external monitoring device which is provided in an external monitoring station located in a remote place from skiing grounds. The external monitoring device is connected to the monitoring device in a monitoring station of a selected skiing ground so that the external monitoring device can monitor an operational state of each artificial snowmaker in the selected skiing ground.
With the above-described structure, it is possible to accurately monitor each artificial snowmaker in the selected skiing ground from the external monitoring station located in a remote place from skiing grounds, and therefore it is not always necessary to have maintenance staff stand by in each skiing ground.
According to still another embodiment, the system further comprises a means to reset an artificial snowmaker after it stops due to a malfunction.
With the above-described structure, it is possible to restart the operation of the artificial snowmaker without sending maintenance staff to the location since the causes of the artificial snowmaker stoppage can be found from the external monitoring station.
According to still another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of remotely monitoring artificial snowmakers, wherein the artificial snowmakers are placed apart from each other on a ski slope of a skiing ground, each of the artificial snowmakers having a freezer for making ice and being capable of making artificial snow independently, said method displaying a location of each of the artificial snowmakers on the ski slope on a monitoring screen in a monitoring station of the skiing ground, said monitoring screen displaying operational states of each of the artificial snowmakers at predetermined times.
According to still another embodiment, the present invention provides a method of remotely monitoring artificial snowmakers which are placed on a plurality of skiing grounds, wherein the artificial snowmakers are placed apart from each other on a ski slope of each of the skiing grounds, each of the artificial snowmakers having a freezer for making ice and being capable of making artificial snow independently, said method comprising the step of displaying an operational state of each of the artificial snowmakers in a selected skiing ground by making connection to the selected skiing ground from an external monitoring station located in a place remote from the skiing grounds, said method further comprising the step of displaying various parameters of an artificial snowmaker based on the displayed operation state when it operates abnormally.
The following Detailed Description of the Invention and attached drawings will explain more clearly the other features and remarkable effects of the present invention.